labor lawAdivision of labor law center

On January 1, 2010 the Kansas minimum wage will increase by $4.60 from $2.65 per hour to $7.25 per hour. The increase is one of the largest in recent memory, dwarfing the three 70-cent increases in the federal minimum wage between July 24, 2007 and July 24, 2009.

 

It is critical that every  employer prominently display a Kansas minimum wage poster, to avoid penalties and fines.

 

This move puts the Kansas minimum wage on a par with the minimum wages of 28 states including Alaska, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

 

While having a minimum wage that is the same as the federal minimum wage may not seem like an astounding achievement, it represents a major change in philosophy for Kansas politicians.

 

Despite annual efforts by Kansas Democrats, the state minimum wage has been frozen at $2.65 per hour for more than a decade. Prior to New Year’s Day, Kansas still has the lowest minimum wage in the United States. However, to be fair it should be noted that five states have no minimum wage at all. Those states are Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee and South Carolina.

 

This move means that only four states will have minimum wages lower than the federal minimum in 2010. Those states are Arkansas at $6.25 per hour and Minnesota at $6.15 per hour. Both Georgia  and Wyoming are at $5.15 per hour. While Florida technically has a lower minimum wage, the statute requires all affected employers to pay the higher federal rate of $7.25 per hour.

 

Between 1996 and 2006, there was a grassroots movement to increase the minimum wage in many states. During that period the federal minimum wage was stuck at $5.15 per hour for more than a decade. Critics pointed out that the wage had less purchasing power in 2006 than the $1.60 minimum wage did in the 1960s. However, during that entire decade, the Kansas legislators resisted the temptation to increase the state minimum wage.

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